Iran Looks Inward and Cracks Down: Ahmadinejad the Lame Duck. CAIR in Every Garage: A Quran in Every Library?
But I certainly disagree with the current chief editor of Asharq Alawsat on developments inside Iraq. Besides, he is not nearly as good as the previous editor of the same Saudi newspaper that is published in London.
Arab media report that the conservative Iranian Kayhan daily has called for the trial of presidential candidate Moussavi and former president Khatami for ‘treason’. It did not however call for the same for former president Ali Rafsanjani, who is still very powerful in Iran. It is unlikely that any of these gentlemen will be tried. Ali Khamenai is not Ayatollah Khomeini: he cannot try and execute powerful men anymore. Ahamadinejad is a wounded president, almost a lame duck even as he starts his last term.
Some Arab media are also excited that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) will be distributing 100 thousand copies of the Holy Quran to high officials on state and federal level in the United States. The drive is called “Share our Quran”. I am not sure what it aims to achieve: there will certainly be no converts. If the idea is to endear Muslims to the general American power structure, this is not done through distributing the Quran, which many will accept politely then relegate to some bookshelf. After all, how many Arab or Muslim officials will read through the Bible if given a copy? The drive will start with the Independence Day celebarations. As for the general American public< CAIR should know that it is not heavily into the details of religion. CAIR also should know that there is a separation of religion and state in this country, and it would be better to give copies to libraries and colleges rather than politicians.
It is not necessarily a bad move, but I can’t see what it will achieve for anyone other than whoever publishes the copies.
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mhg
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